Der Chief Says Dams In Pa. Safe

State Environmental Resources Secretary Nicholas DeBenedictis yesterday said Pennsylvania has eliminated more unsafe dams than any other state.

He said this was because of the commonwealth's strong enforcement complemented by a unique financing program.

In an address before the Association of State Dam Safety Officials, DeBenedictis noted 109 of the 208 unsafe dams identified by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Phase One inspection in 1981 have been corrected or eliminated.

"Another 14 of these unsafe dams will be either repaired or breached by the end of the year," DeBenedictis said, noting that most of the remaining dams classified as unsafe have inadequate spillways and none of the dams themselves are considered emergencies.

Although the commonwealth's dam-safety program is well under way, DeBenedictis said that the most challenging obstacle remaining is the development of public awareness throughout the United States for the importance of dam safety.

"There continues to be a dam-safety crisis in the United States," DeBenedictis said. "In many parts of this country, very little is being done to improve the safety of dams and reservoirs. Four years after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Phase One inspection, which determined that one-third of U.S. dams and reservoirs were unsafe, many states still do not have effective dam safety programs."

DER estimates that it could cost $50 million to $70 million to bring Pennsylvania's remaining unsafe dams into compliance.

Repairs to some dams and reservoirs in Pennsylvania are funded in part by the state's unique $300-million Water Facilities Loan Board (WFLB) program. The WFLB provides low-interest loans for approximately 50 percent of the cost of improvements to water supply facilities - including dams and reservoirs.

Since the WFLB's inception in January 1984, more than $45 million in loans have been made to public and private water facilities, with more than $10 million for dam and reservoir rehabilitation alone.

DeBenedictis cited the commonwealth's aggressive approach to dam-safety enforcement and the cooperation of owners of the state's 3,000 dams and reservoirs as the primary reason for successful reduction of unsafe water structures.

In the last four years, owners of non-federal private and public dams in Pennsylvania have spent more than $50 million to rehabilitate unsafe structures. This year, between $20 million and $30 million in dam rehabilitation work is underway, making 1985 the most active year to date for the state's dam-safety program.

The DER secretary emphasized that although a major part of Pennsylvania's dam-safety program involves the correction of unsafe facilities, the department also is responsible for an extensive permitting and inspection process for new and existing dams and reservoirs.

Under Pennsylvania's dam safety program, the commonwealth:

- issues permits for the construction, operation and maintenance of new dams and reservoirs and for the operation and maintenance of existing dams and reservoirs.

- inspects all high-hazard facilities still technically considered unsafe at least once a year.

- inspects all dams and reservoirs during construction.

- requires owners of all dams and reservoirs in the state to submit an engineer's inspection report.

In addition, DER has worked with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to successfully develop emergency action plans for communities downstream from high-hazard dams and reservoirs.